The Kaduna State House of Assembly in north-western Nigeria has approved full surgical castration as punishment for those convicted of rape.
The State Governor, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, had earlier in July supported castration to prevent rapists from re-offending. He made the remark when women advocating for justice for rape victims staged a peaceful rally at the government house.
Last month, the Governor’s wife also visited the state House of Assembly to advocate for law castrating and executing rapists where she stressed that an average of five rape cases especially for minors are reported daily in Kaduna State.
All that is now needed is for the Governor to sign the bill for it to become law in the north-western state.
The law in Nigeria provides between 14 years and life imprisonment as punishment, but state legislators can set different sentencing rules.
The executive bill sought to amend section 258 of the penal code law which states that “Whoever commits rape, shall be punished with punishment for imprisonment for life.”
The section, according to the Chairman, House Committee on Information, has been substituted with subsections 1, 2, 3 as follows:
“Whoever commits rape of a child below the age of 14 years upon conviction will be punished with surgical castration and death.”
“Whoever has sexual intercourse with a male child below the age of 14 years shall be punished with surgical castration and death.”
“Where the female adult is convicted for the offence of rape of a child, the court shall punish the accused by bilateral salpingectomy and death.”
“Where the victim is above 14 years the court shall on conviction, sentence the accused with punishment on surgical castration and life in imprisonment.”
“Where the convict is a child, the court shall order as appropriate under the child and young person’s law cap 26 law of Kaduna state 1991 in addition to the conviction under subsection 1and 2 order that the convict be listed in the convict register to be published in the media by the Attorney General.”
“Where the court is trying on the case of rape involving a child below the age of 14, the collaboration of a medical report shall be necessary,” he said
